


Meta Next Door

by Zangoose



Series: Cisco & You [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: A Lot of Plot, F/F, F/M, Lisa/reader implied, Season 2 spoilers, Second Person, Slow Burn, Spoilers, but just to be safe, i mean you're both nerds, meta reader, nerdy reader, not a hero reader, not sure if mentioning Ronnie counts as a major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 16:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7229755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zangoose/pseuds/Zangoose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cisco had always been an understanding neighbor, even if he wasn't home often.<br/>--<br/>I can't wait until October for more Flash and (more importantly) more Cisco. So here's this nonsense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unlikely Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how long I'll make this, but I want to cover most of the events of season 2, as if you were a hidden friend of Cisco the whole time. All I know for sure is that the last chapter will be a separate piece and entirely smutty, but I'll end it in a way that you don't have to have the smut if you don't want it.

Cisco had always been an understanding neighbor, even if he wasn't home often. 

When you found his underwear in your laundry, he apologized and thanked you with a blush on his face. When you found them again, you joked that maybe he was doing it on purpose, and his blush deepened. He definitely was cute when he was embarrassed. 

But when you moved in, you had just gotten out of a long relationship, and the breakup was messy; in fact, it was why you had to move. You just weren't ready to even flirt. Plus, you'd seen a devilishly beautiful girl hang around his door. But, even after a few months of living there, he was still the only person whose name you knew, and that was only because because his pizza had been delivered to you by accident your third night living there. 

You were coming home after a particularly ridiculous day at work as IT for an office, your beloved mini laptop in hand, when Cisco saw you in the hall. He must have noticed how ragged you looked because he actually stopped you.

“Hey, you okay? You seem stressed.”

You try your best to muster a thankful smile. “Thanks; it's just been a long day.”

Cisco nods. “You and me both.”

You walk past him to get to your door when he suddenly turns around, knocking your laptop out of your hand and onto the floor. Bits of plastic and metal break off the edge.

Cisco held his hands frozen in midair, both of you staring in horror. 

“Oh my god, I am so sorry!” He leans down and picks up your laptop as well as the bits. “I can fix it for you, if you want. Completely free, of course.”

You sigh, taking your laptop from him. “No, it's fine. I can do it. But thank you.” He reluctantly hands you the bits. You almost turn away, but you see his face, a mix of shock and deep regret, and suddenly you realize that neither of you really want to be alone that night.

But a few months doesn't compare to the years you spent with them. It wasn't time yet.

But then again, what was the harm of one drink.

You sigh again, not believing you were doing this. “But, if you wanna pay me back, you could come keep me company while I fix it, maybe have a beer or something?”

The Hispanic man looks at you in shock. “Wh-fb-yeah, I'd love to,” he manages to stutter out. 

You smile at him and lead him to your door and into your apartment, dropping your stuff on your kitchen table. You tell him to make himself at home on the couch while you grab some beers and your tools.

“Tools?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, for fixing my laptop. I've been building computers since my dad taught me when I was nine.”

Cisco looks at you, impressed. “I never would have guessed that. You don't seem…”

“Geeky?” You give him a sly grin and hand him a beer from the fridge. “You haven't looked at my TV yet, then.”

He glances around the corner at your living room. He snaps his gaze back to you, mouth half open. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Are you referring to the signed Star Wars poster or the Uncharted PS4?”

“I was actually talking about the entirety of the Stargate universe sitting on your shelf, but those are equally astonishing.” Cisco smiles at you like he has an idea. “You thinking what I'm thinking?”

You look up at him from your seat, where you have already started fixing your laptop. “That the quicker I get this done the sooner we can indulge ourselves in my massive Sci-fi collection?”

Cisco shoots finger guns at you, grinning from ear to ear. “I'll make the popcorn.”


	2. The Devilishly Beautiful Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally talk to the girl who stands outside of Cisco's door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lisa subplot because why not. Lisa needs more love.

At work, you struggle to stay awake. Cisco has been coming over most nights for the past two weeks, and it's starting to take a toll on you. Even though most nights he either comes home late or not at all, he still manages to swing by or send a text. Sometimes you wonder what exactly it is that he does at Star Labs that keeps him at work at all hours (especially during meta attacks), but you both agreed not to talk about work when you hang out. It just makes things easier.

But spending time with Cisco makes everything easier.

Coming home from work that night, you step out of the elevator to see the devilishly beautiful girl sitting by Cisco’s door with her head down, arms propped on her knees. She was shaking, trying to stifle sobs.

“Hey, are you alright?”

The girl shoots you a look like daggers, her brilliant blue eyes chilling you to the bone. But she quickly breaks down, her bottom lip quivering. You move closer to her and sit down next to her, putting a hand on her back.

“Hey, it's gonna be okay… whatever is wrong, it'll get better.”

“Like you would know,” She sneered. “You don't know anything about me.”

“I know you're a friend of Cisco’s,” her laugh cut you off.

“I'm not Cisco’s friend. I just use him.” She stares at the floor for a moment then closes her eyes. “That's all I do. Use people. It's all I'm good for.”

You pull her in closer. “I can promise you that's not true.”

The woman scoffs, opening her eyes and glancing at you in her peripheral. “And how do you know?”

“Because I can see it in your eyes. You're doing your best with what little you have. You're just using the tools you were given. I know what that's like, sadly.” You fight back your own tears as the woman wipes away hers. She looks at you with as much of a smile as she can muster. 

“Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.”

You smile back at her. “Anytime. Us girls have to be there for one another.”

As you both stand, you hug her tightly. “Come to me anytime you need to talk okay? I know how hard it can be to get ahold of Cisco sometimes.”

She let's out a small laugh. “I wasn't kidding when I said Cisco and I weren't exactly friends. If he even knew I came to his apartment so much he'd probably move.”

“Then why do you come?”

She shrugs. “Sometimes I need a break from my life, and I guess some part of me always hoped Cisco would give me that break.” She looks back at Cisco’s apartment door with sad eyes.

“Don't worry. If you ever need a break, you can always come to me.”

Looking back at you, the beautiful woman smiles again, making your knees go a little weak. 

“Thank you. I don't think I ever got your name.”

You say your name gently, suddenly finding it hard to speak. She grins at you one more time and kisses your cheek.

“Thank you. Again.”

Just like that she was walking away, leaving you standing in the hallway, face warm and red. As the elevator doors open, you come to your senses and turn around, shouting at her.

“Wait, what's your name?”

Just as the door closes, she looks you in the eyes and calls out, “Lisa!”

 

A few hours later, Cisco knocks on your door, looking more tired than usual.

“Hey, what's wrong?”

Letting himself in, he breathes out a sigh. “Very long, very not fun day.”

You close the door and give him a hug. He hugs you back tightly, as if he's afraid to let go. You rub his back softly and eventually pull away, but keeping a soft grip on his shoulders.

“Cisco, I know we don't talk shop… but what happened?”

He looks at you, bewildered. “Didn't you see the giant hole in the sky?”

You look at him in utter shock. How could you have missed something like that?

“I… no, I was comforting a friend and then I took a nap… oh my god Cisco, what happened?”


	3. Late Night Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco finally starts talking to you again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought Cisco would also have been grieving Ronnie's death, still blaming himself a little. But maybe, instead of pushing everyone away like Barry, he just pushes away the one who doesn't have anything to do with The Flash before she becomes too involved, and thus gets put into danger.

Ever since Cisco told you he worked with the Flash, things hadn't been the same. He told you all the horrible things that had happened that day, and it changed how you saw him; it made him less of you chilling buddy and more an actual friend. You wanted to spend more time with him, help him and his friends grieve their losses, but he didn't even want you to meet them. In the last few months, he had been almost avoiding you, barely coming over once every two weeks to watch a movie. All you knew was that he had become the CCPD’s meta-human consultant.

Which, as a closeted meta, concerned you. Your powers aren't particularly harmful (as far as you know at least, you haven't been too eager to test your limits), and you use them sparingly and only for mundane uses. Reviving plants isn't exactly useful for much other than keeping a fresh garden and not wasting money on having to buy fruits and vegetables again after they go bad in a week. Still, you felt guilty hiding it from him.

Today was Flash day. He was getting the key to the city for saving everyone from the singularity. You happen to be one of the few who know he didn't do it alone, and the toll it took on everyone involved. You'd seen Detective West in the hallway talking to Cisco a few times, both if them speaking in hushed whispers and looking concerned. You tried to smile at Cisco, but they would always be too wrapped up in whatever they were discussing. You heard the names Caitlin and Barry, but that's it.

You keep an eye on the coverage for Flash Day while at work. You see the police cars at the back, and one guy in particular who was anything but a police officer. Pride swells in you for a moment at the sight of your friend being so important. 

You take a call from another hopeless temp who can't open their email, and by the time you make it back to your desk, all hell has broken loose. All you can do is watch as Cisco’s meta boot doesn't work. The guy was too strong, too big… 

As soon as the ordeal is over, you frantically call Cisco, to no avail. It's not too surprising; he's probably busy.

And that's what you tell yourself over all week, until finally he knocks on your door. You lean against the door frame, refusing to match his smile.

“You up for a movie night?” He holds up a plastic bag and pulls a DVD out. “I got Sharknado 3.”

You hold firm to your glare. “I have been calling and texting you all week. The least you could have done was send a text that told me you were still alive after that meta attack on Flash Day.”

Cisco sighs, looking anywhere but your eyes. “Your right. I've been a jerk lately.” He looks up at you, sincerity and sorrow in his eyes. “I've been dealing with a lot, and like… the Flash, I've been pushing you away instead of asking for your help.” 

You crack a smile, unable to stay mad at such a cute face. “Apology accepted.” You move away from the doorway and let him in. He practically starts bouncing as he enters, eagerly telling you about his week, sprinkling in details from the last few months. 

Before either of you notice, it's almost midnight and you haven't even made it to the living room to watch Sharknado 3. 

You finally stop Cisco from talking by holding your hand up. “Should you even be telling me all this? I mean, this sounds like a lot of confidential stuff.”

He shrugs, taking a drink of his beer. “It's not like you're some crazy meta hell bent on taking down the Flash.” Cisco notices your uneasy look and stops his bottle halfway from his face. “Are you?”

“Crazy? No. Meta....”

Cisco sits back in disbelief as you rush to explain.

“It's less of a superpower and ,ore or a party trick, I swear. I would have told you sooner, but you work at Star Labs! I put two and two together and knew you'd be trying to stop meta and I got scared…”

Cisco closed his eyes and held his hand up for you to stop. He rubs his temples and looks at you. “It's okay. I'm not mad. Just kinda, in shock. I understand why you were scared to tell me, and to be fair, I never asked.”

You sit in silence for a few minutes, not even looking at each other. Finally, you speak up.

“Wanna see it?”

His head snaps up to look at you in surprise, a small blush appearing on his face. You roll your eyes.

“My power, you pervert.”

“Pfft… I knew that.” Cisco nonchalantly takes a drink of his beer, trying to hide his awkwardness.

You stand and walk over to the counter where you have a bowl of fruit, most of which is dead. You reach for an apple, picking it up gently and walking it back to the table and setting it in front of Cisco.

“What do you see?”

“A nasty-ass apple.” He grimaces and gives you a disgusted look. “Why do you even have this?”

“Because of this.” You put on finger on the apple. From where you touch it, the apple slowly plumps up, changing colors until it was a bright red, as if it had just been picked. Cisco stares at it in amazement, then looks at you, eyes wide with wonder.

“Dude! How did you figure out you could do this?”

You shrug, grabbing the apple and taking a bite. “Had a plant I had been trying to grow die on me, touched the leaf, and suddenly not only was it alive but it bloomed.” 

Cisco smiles and shakes his head. “That’s incredible. You must save a ton on grocery shopping.”

“Maybe if I didn’t buy so much junk food I would.” 

You both smile at each other. As you take another bite of the apple, you sit down across from Cisco and he leans in towards you.

“So what else can you do?”

Again, you shrug. “Don’t know. I haven’t really tried to do anything else. I mean, bringing plants back to life is cool and all, but the implications of what else I might be able to do…” You shake your head. “I don’t even want to know if I have that kind of power. I don’t want that kind of power.”

He nods, an all too understanding look in his eyes. For the first time, it hits you that Cisco might also be a meta; he was there when the particle accelerator went off, after all. But before you can ask him anything, he stands up without warning.

“I think I’m gonna go to bed now. It’s pretty late.”

You blink, surprised. You had just got him back to talking to you and you don’t want it to end. “But we didn’t watch Sharknado…”

Cisco half smiles at you, looking more distracted than tired. “Rain check. I have to get to the lab early tomorrow.” As he heads to the door, you look down at your half eaten apple. Before he leaves, he turns to you.

“Don’t… don’t leave the apartment more than you have to, okay?”

You turn to look at him, his face worried.

“I’ll stay safe. I promise.”

He smiles at you although he’s obviously not relieved of his worry. “Good. Well, night.”

He closes the door, but you don’t turn back around in your seat.


End file.
